1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to a sun visor for use in an interior of a vehicle, and more particularly relates to a hybrid visor which includes a hybrid clamshell and a body made of a foam material, such as EPP.
2. Description of Related Art
Sun visors are well known and widely used in the prior art. Many different types of visors have been successfully employed in vehicles over the years. Many of these prior art visors have been developed in a variety of ways through which visor bodies and other interior components may be constructed and mounted within the vehicle. Advances in design can often add complexities to the manufacturing processes for interior components. There has been and continues to be a premium in the automotive industry on cost savings, and improvements in the efficiency and speed in the manufacturing processes for such components therein. One area of particular focus in the automobile technology field has been reducing the number and complexity of steps required to assemble interior components, such as visors for use in vehicles. Furthermore, governmental regulations also require less dense or softer interior components to reduce the risk of head injury in vehicle crashes throughout the interior of an automotive vehicle.
Generally, in the prior art, manufacturing complexity continues to drive innovations in the automotive industry, loss of quality and performance in the manufacturing of components for the sake of facilitating production is seldom if ever acceptable. Furthermore, creating simpler versions of existing components within the automotive interior also drives the market. There is a substantial body of art relating to the specific structure of the visor to provide a strong, lightweight construction that matches or compliments the interior trim in a cost effective manner. Of particular interest has been the clamshell type construction, which involves the molding of two shell pieces or clamshell halves, which are joined to form a visor body. In one typical clamshell design, the visor halves are formed as a single piece attached along the longitudinal edge and then folded to form the visor body. The exterior surface can be molded to provide a suitable visor surface or a desired covering can be added in a variety of different ways known in the prior art.
The clamshell design allows the visor body to be constructed relatively quickly and easily, however the various components that are attached to the visor clamshell must in some cases be incorporated with several assembly steps prior to securing the clamshell halves together. For example, some of the known designs require insertion of additional mounting or journaling pieces for retention of the visor pivot rod within the visor body. The construction of the visors having such design is relatively time intensive. Moreover, the various slides, journals, retainers, etc., utilized in the construction may add significant expense and more importantly weight to the overall visor and increase the number of components necessary to build one therein and also may increase the density or hardness of the visor and not meet the governmental regulations regarding head impact standards.
Eliminating parts can reduce the expense of manufacturing and constructing a visor. The decrease in size and weight however can be accompanied by a decrease in strength. The rotatable visors are a concern where flimsy construction of the visor core and slider components may be insufficient to withstand repeated torque actions on the visor shell itself, and in some cases cause dislodging or breaking of the pieces. It is thus desirable in the art to provide a visor that is light weight, easy to manufacturing, using relatively few components and meets all federal regulations requiring head impact standards, yet utilizes a design that is simple and can be easily changed for a variety of interiors of over a wide variety of vehicle lines. Furthermore, it is desirable in the art to develop a visor that provides significant durability to withstand heavy and repeated use and to provide a solid and firm construction with tight tolerances throughout the entire system. Also, it is desirable in the art to provide a visor that is easy to recycle thus creating a visor that is more green and a simpler version of many of the visors now used in the prior art.